Be transported back to the 19th century and stroll the Victorian streets of Leeds at the Abbey House Museum in Kirkstall.
Have you ever wanted to live the life of a Victorian for a day? To explore the social history of 19th century Leeds?
Well you don't have to jump in a time machine to do so as The Abbey House Museum provides all this and more.
Established in 1927, you will find this fascinating museum opposite the famous Kirkstall Abbey.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Boasting an incredible history itself, it was originally a dwelling house for the abbey before it was operated as a farm house, and then was the home of the Butler family, the owners of Kirkstall Forge, before being purchased by Leeds City Council in 1926.
Today it offers visitors the chance to fully immerse themselves in the sights, sounds and smells of 19th century Leeds by exploring life-like cobbled streets complete with shops, pubs and houses.
You'll be handed a booklet on arrival which provides bundles of fascinating information to guide you through the streets. From the live expectancy rates of nearby towns to pay rates of millworkers through the years - one things for sure you'll definitely learn a whole lot on your trip to the Abbey House Museum.
Pop into Popplewell the grocers before stopping for a pint at the Hark to Rover pub, each recreated building is filled with original objects dating back over 100 years from the museum's extensive collection.
Upstairs you will find the museum's Childhood Galleries which exhibit their incredible growing collection of toys, 19th century dolls, memorabilia and nostalgia.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
There's plenty of comfortable spots for you to play and relax with their huge selection of toys and books, making it the perfect place to while away the afternoon.
The first floor of the museum is home to an annually-changing special exhibition, each one as interesting as the next. In 2022 the museum showcased a menagerie of Victorian animals in an exhibit named Curious Creatures:Victorian attitudes to animals.
Entry for an adult costs just £6, and a child aged 5-18 only £3. Family admission of up to 2 adults and 3 children is just £13.50, making it the perfect family trip out over the school holidays or on the weekend.
To find out more about this wonderful museum, take a look at their website.
The Wombats aren’t just still going strong - they’re getting better. And honestly? Long may they reign.
The Wombats absolutely tore the roof off the First Direct Arena in Leeds last night, Wednesday 26 March and what a night it was.
From the second they hit the stage it wasn’t just a gig, it was a full-blown indie-pop spectacle, packed with infectious energy, nostalgia, and a whole lot of dancing.
They kicked things off with “Moving to New York,” and honestly? The crowd was in from the first note.
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Matthew Murphy’s unmistakable vocals rang through the arena and suddenly, thousands of people were screaming every lyric like it was 2007 all over again. It was one of those moments where you could just feel how much this band still means to people.
Despite the massive venue, The Wombats somehow made it feel intimate. The lights? Pure chaos in the best way - vibrant, colourful, and totally in sync with the band’s wild, bouncy sound.
Murphy’s cheeky banter between songs made it feel less like a polished arena show and more like a jam session with a few thousand of your closest mates.
Setlist-wise, they nailed it. “Let’s Dance to Joy Division” and “Greek Tragedy” had the whole place losing it, while the stripped-down version of “Techno Fan” gave everyone a minute to breathe (and maybe get a little emotional).
Image: The Hoot Leeds
Those quieter moments just made the high-energy choruses hit even harder. It was a rollercoaster - in the best way possible.
Then came the encore. If you thought the crowd was loud before, “Kill the Director” took things to another level. Pure, chaotic indie bliss. The kind of moment you don’t want to end.
Here’s the thing about The Wombats: some might say their older songs hit harder than their newer stuff, but is that just nostalgia talking? Or maybe it’s a generational thing?
Either way, they proved they’re still one of the most exciting live bands out there. They’ve still got the hooks, the humour, and the ability to turn a massive arena into a sweaty, euphoric singalong.
Get Baked’s viral ‘Bertha’ cake has a sister on the way – and she sounds just as cheeky
Danny Jones
She's big, she's green and she's ready to ruin your figure.
A lot of you will have seen the viral ‘Bertha’ cake by Leeds born beloved sweet treat specialists Get Baked.
They recently opened another site in Manchester's Northern Quarter, where queues literally formed round the block of hungry punters wanting to get their hands on the infamous sugary treats.
And now it's going to happen all over again, as they've recently unveiled their newest flavour which is sure to go down a storm.
We’ll give you a hint: it’s a current food and drink trend that’s about as big as Bertha herself – it’s not matcha, it’s not hot honey (duh), and it’s not Guinness…
Images: Get Baked
Yes—scratch that; HELL YES!Get Baked is set to welcome Bertha’s equally beautiful twin sister, and she’s officially a pistachio girlie.
Having started out life simply as ‘Bruce’, after taking inspiration from the iconic scene from Matilda, this thing has become a phenomenon in its own right, and who doesn’t like more flavours of a good thing?
Probably one of the biggest foodie crazes going at the minute, thanks to the popularity of pistachio cream, cookies, lattes and the similar social media sensation that is the ‘Dubai Pistachio Bar' people are rather fittingly going nuts for this particular flavour of almost absolutely anything.
With that in mind, the Leeds-born bakery and dessert shop – founded by Rich Myers over in Headingley back in 2011 – have shown no hesitation in hopping on the bandwagon and creating a new twist on their own viral menu item.
Teasing the full details in a post on their Instagram this week, they wrote: “What’s big, green, and is going to destroy your life in a couple of weeks’ time? Pistachio Bertha. Strictly limited to 5,000 slices. Coming oh so soon. GB.”
In case you were wondering just how mad those with a sweet tooth could possibly go for a slice of cake, just look at the recent queues when they finally launched in Manchester city centre:
Speaking on the grand opening here on our turf and his partner Amy’s hometown, Myers said simply: “Manchester, what a launch. Thanks for much for the warm welcome. Stay baked.”
Clementine Hall -
8th February 2023 
